The Reborn Otaku’s Code of Practice for the Apocalypse – CH110

Chapter 110 — Aftermath of the Siege

In fact, Yan Fei’s ability to manipulate metal objects remotely had never been deliberately hidden within the base. If there was any concealment at all, it was only when he worked together with other metal-type ability users. When dealing with people who caused trouble, he had always controlled metal directly in midair to deal with them.

He was not worried that this information might reach the military.

The reason was simple—since the apocalypse began and all kinds of ability users appeared, the base had been flooded with all sorts of rumors, both believable and ridiculous.

For example, with fire-type ability users: people who had witnessed them would say that they could launch fireballs at targets. But as the story spread, it would turn into something else entirely—someone who could summon a fire dragon, reducing enemies to ashes.

Eventually, some people would swear that they had personally seen someone transform into a ball of fire walking down the street, everything they touched instantly turning to ash. With each step they took, the ground beneath their feet would burn into a deep crater.

Because the base was already full of such absurd rumors, Yan Fei simply did not care if the truth about his abilities reached the military.

Even if someone from the military saw it firsthand, he could easily explain it—it was merely another way of manipulating metal abilities. After all, fireballs and waterballs also appeared and flew through the air seemingly from nowhere. Other metal-type users simply had not mastered the method yet.

After glancing down the wall, Luo Xun said to Captain Guo, “This won’t work. Yan Fei alone can’t inspect so many places.”

The zombie rats were certainly not attacking only the gate area. It was pitch dark outside, and the ground beneath the wall was completely black. The zombie rats were hiding among the larger zombies and digging at their feet—who could possibly notice them all?

“The other three are already on their way…”

Before Captain Guo finished speaking, Yan Fei shook his head.

“Even if the four of us arrive, we can only cover one section of the wall at most. The outer wall is too large. Even though the foundation is five meters deep, eventually they’ll dig through somewhere.”

Captain Guo frowned. Decisions on such matters were not something he could make alone. Since his superiors had assigned him responsibility for this section’s defense, he had to do everything possible to ensure safety.

“How many water-type and lightning-type ability users are here?” Luo Xun suddenly asked.

“You mean the method you mentioned earlier today?” Captain Guo frowned again. After Luo Xun nodded, he sighed.

“We still can’t determine whether lightning abilities might spread to other areas…”

There were many weapons and ammunition stored along the wall. If lightning abilities accidentally conducted through the metal walls or spread into the base, the resulting damage could be enormous.

Luo Xun shrugged helplessly.

“If equipment gets damaged, we can repair or rebuild it. But if zombies get inside…”

He did not need to finish the sentence.

Everyone understood immediately.

Not only Luo Xun and Yan Fei, but even the soldiers stationed nearby all turned to look at Captain Guo.

The pressure made Captain Guo grind his teeth. He pulled out his phone.

“Keep defending. I’ll go ask.”

The decision came quickly.

In fact, even before Captain Guo asked, the military leadership meeting held overnight had already reached the same conclusion.

Just as Luo Xun said, equipment could always be replaced. But if the zombies entered the base, the consequences would be far worse.

Lightning-type ability users were not very numerous in the base, but that was not a problem—because they had electricity.

Solar power, oil-based generators, and even biogas from waste materials were all energy sources developed and utilized after the apocalypse. Some power was stored regularly, and the rest remained in backup batteries for emergencies.

Moreover, although the base lacked water, it certainly did not lack water-type ability users.

At this moment, they did not even need to summon civilian survivors. The logistics department of the military alone had enough water-type users to support the operation.

Like torrential rain, streams of water abilities poured down outside the wall.

Ability users of other types stood guard to protect the water-type users, intercepting flying zombie rats and enemy ability attacks.

After the wave of water ended, the wall suddenly fell silent.

If the zombies had still possessed human intelligence, they might have sensed something was wrong.

Unfortunately, they were no longer human. Even the few unusual ones had not regained true human reasoning.

So the zombies continued attacking tirelessly.

Then—

Zzzzzz—crack crack—boom!

It is said that children who play with electricity will end up with an afro hairstyle.

Thus, during the zombie siege of the apocalypse, the zombies beneath the wall experienced a practical demonstration.

Below the wall, both zombies and zombie rats were struck by the combined cleansing of water and electricity. Almost all of them were electrocuted on the spot.

Only a few farther away, or those with lightning resistance, survived.

Even those still standing were charred black, smoke rising from their bodies. The remaining strands of hair on their heads had curled into frizzy electric perm spirals, white smoke drifting upward.

The lightning-type ability users on the wall, who were immune to the electricity, glanced downward once before covering their noses and retreating.

“The smoke is too thick! It smells awful!”

The scent of roasted zombie was anything but pleasant—after all, most zombie bodies were already rotting.

The officer commanding the wall immediately ordered wind-type users to blow away the smoke.

At the same time, ice-type ability users who had rushed over upon receiving the news were now in position.

After all, a single electric shock was not enough. Zombies of the same ability type had some resistance.

Lightning-type zombies could be eliminated gradually with firearms, but what about the zombie rats that had already dug holes and hidden underground?

Earth-type ability users were too far away and lacked sufficient destructive power. Water-type abilities conflicted with the environment and were also ineffective now that the ground below was flooded.

That left only ice-type ability users—whose powers worked with water but still had strong destructive capability.

The ice-type users climbed onto the wall, holding their noses to avoid the nauseating smoke as they froze all the water they could control below, sealing the tunnels the rats had dug.

Meanwhile, the others returned to the wall with their weapons and resumed bombarding the massive zombie horde below.

Soldiers from the logistics department began counting equipment and weapons that had been moved down earlier, as well as items left on the wall that could not be removed in time. They assessed the damage and prepared for the next day’s battle.

By then, the sky was gradually brightening.

The darkest moment before dawn had passed safely, and the first rays of morning sunlight slowly rose.

Luo Xun and Yan Fei climbed back up the wall as well. The other metal-type ability users who had been summoned had arrived.

Together, they prepared to inspect and repair the various sections of the wall.

Suddenly, a soldier standing in the watchtower above the city gate pointed into the distance and shouted, “Th-there are no zombies behind them anymore!!”

When the zombie tide first began, zombies had continuously advanced from the city toward the base. But now, when people looked carefully toward the distant streets, they were astonished to discover something—

The streets stretching out from the city were now completely empty of zombies.

Not only that. The only zombies left were the ones tightly surrounding the base. Beyond them, only a few scattered zombies wandered aimlessly back and forth.

As long as those remaining zombies were eliminated, the base would be completely safe.

The overwhelming joy made some people burst into tears, hugging whoever happened to be beside them and jumping excitedly.

Luo Xun also looked toward the distance with some surprise, puzzled in his heart.

Was the siege this short in his previous life?

From what he remembered, every zombie siege he had experienced had lasted at least a week. Some of the largest ones had even continued for three entire months.

He couldn’t voice this suspicion now. In any case, the zombies being repelled was the best possible news.

With hope now clearly within reach, everyone on the wall was in high spirits, eager to kill the remaining zombies.

Suddenly, a scream rang out nearby.

When the screaming figure fell from the wall outside the base, everyone immediately snapped out of their excitement. Cold sweat soaked through their clothes.

They had forgotten—although hope had appeared, it was not yet time to celebrate.

The zombies outside were still there.

Celebration could wait until they were all dead.

In any battle, it was nearly impossible to avoid casualties. Even the most skilled fighters might be injured when facing enemies directly.

During the three-day defense of the base, quite a few people on the wall were injured by long-range zombie attacks or accidental friendly fire.

Even when the five-man group returned on the final day, Wang Duo had to be helped into the elevator—he had twisted his ankle while descending the wall stairs.

Zhang Su’s face remained dark for several days because of that.

Wang Duo looked miserable whenever Zhang Su appeared, apologizing and acting pitiful. But as soon as Zhang Su left the room, he looked so happy that he nearly rolled around on the bed.

After the siege ended, the base remained under lockdown.

Only the military was allowed to leave the base, driving bulldozers and armored vehicles to clear the zombie corpses nearby.

All the bodies were piled together and burned. For two full days, thick smoke rose from the eastern side of the base.

Whenever the wind blew strongly, the foul odor would drift into the base.

As a result, everyone in the base had to remain indoors for another two days. It was officially called “a base-wide rest period.”

Luo Xun and the others also received three days off—three full days without work. All ability users working for the military received the same leave.

They understood very well that getting this leave now probably meant their regular leave at the end of the month would be canceled.

But given their current exhaustion, even if they had leave later, they probably wouldn’t have the strength to go outside the base to hunt zombies.

Moreover, after this siege, most of the zombies near the base had likely already been drawn here. Even if they went out, they would have to travel very far to find anything worthwhile.

So these three days truly became a genuine vacation—without any additional tasks.

Of course, there were still many things at home requiring the efforts of the entire Otaku Team.

Because of the weather, Luo Xun worried that rain might leak into the house and contaminate their crops, or damage the solar panels installed outside.

So Yan Fei spent these days modifying the metal railings outside, turning them into manually adjustable “metal shutters” that could block rain and wind.

Luo Xun worked with Xu Mei, Li Tie and the others (Wang Duo could barely move due to his injured foot), plus Zhang Su. Together they managed the crops inside the house.

For example—mushrooms needed to be harvested and pressed into juice.

Some plants that had been neglected for a few days needed trimming and adjustment.

And there were also some newly discovered mutated plants.

Most crop mutations occurred during the early sprouting stage. Because Luo Xun had found a method using special mushroom logs to reduce mutation rates, the number of mutated crops in their two floors was extremely small.

After cultivating and observing the mutated plants, Luo Xun confirmed that none of them were the beneficial mutations he had hoped for.

However, crops could also mutate during growth, often due to zombie-virus contamination in irrigation water or fertilizer.

Thanks to the mushroom logs placed throughout the planting rooms, such cases were largely suppressed.

Even so, Xu Mei and Song Lingling carefully discovered a few plants that looked slightly different.

Among the rice plants, they found several stalks with unusually bright green coloring.

Unlike normal rice plants, these stalks were translucent and jade-like, shining like gemstones.

The moment Luo Xun saw them, he was almost certain—These were beneficial mutations.

Such mutated grains might not produce larger yields than normal crops, but their taste and quality were often far superior.

Now Luo Xun carefully transplanted the rice plants with the others, placing them in a special area for close observation and care.

At the same time, they continued searching for other beneficial mutations.

Everyone bent over the small metal planting tables in different rooms, examining every stem and leaf carefully.

Luo Xun worked faster because of his experience, but the others were slower.

When he and Xu Mei finished inspecting the crops in the 16th floor and apartment 1501 and entered the next room, they saw Li Tie and the others still crouching over the plants.

They were discussing excitedly.

“Hey! Look at this leaf—doesn’t it look darker than the others?”

“This one has extra patterns on the stem!”

“Look! This flower’s color looks different!”

Luo Xun walked over, glanced briefly, and said helplessly—

“Everyone, the plants are fine. You’re just overthinking it.”

“How about outside? Finished already?” Yan Fei walked in leisurely.

Seeing everyone gathered in one room, he looked puzzled.

“Did you find more mutated crops?”

“No. Did you finish outside?” Luo Xun immediately walked to the balcony to check.

After the siege, Yan Fei’s control over his ability had improved again. Modifying the metal structures outside the building was now extremely easy.

Rows of metal shutters were installed outside the windows. Each set could be controlled by a small switch inside the room.

Luo Xun had designed the system beforehand.

All window controls were centralized in apartment 1501 on the fifteenth floor, while each room also had its own individual switch.

That way, if only Xu Mei and Song Lingling were home, they could close every window shutter without running up and down the stairs.

Of course, the system still needed improvement, but for now it was sufficient.

Li Tie and the others had become absorbed in their plant inspection game. Even after Luo Xun said there were probably no mutated plants in the last room, they continued checking every single plant.

No one bothered stopping them.

Today was the second day of their holiday.

Yesterday they had already processed all the mutated mushrooms, turning them into juice and freezing it for later use.

After finishing the inspections, everyone returned to their own homes to rest.

Back in their room, Luo Xun removed his shirt and stood directly in front of the fan to cool off.

It was late August, and their apartment was on the top floor. The heat inside was unbearable—especially around two or three in the afternoon.

If not for the large number of plants growing inside the apartment, Luo Xun wouldn’t even dare stand near the balcony without air conditioning.

But for safety reasons—and to save electricity—he had never installed an air conditioner.

In his previous life he had never used one during the apocalypse, and he had no intention of standing out now.

After all, once an air conditioner started running, the external unit would make noise and drip water.

That would be like putting up a giant sign telling everyone—

“This household has electricity, food, and enough power to run air conditioning.”

Fortunately, although he hadn’t bought an air conditioner, he had prepared five electric fans in advance. One of them even had a cooling function—it worked together with the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.

Yan Fei walked behind him and placed both hands on Luo Xun’s waist.

Luo Xun had been standing there enjoying the cool breeze, complaining about the heat. Suddenly two warm hands pressed against his waist, and he immediately jumped aside.

“Too hot!”

Yan Fei raised an eyebrow. Because of the scorching weather recently, the two of them hadn’t been intimate for quite a while. And with the zombie siege happening a few days earlier, they had spent a long stretch of time doing nothing but sleeping.

Now they finally had some days off without worrying about getting up early the next morning…

“Too hot, huh?”

Luo Xun nodded cautiously, eyeing him warily, completely forgetting that he had taken off his shirt as soon as he came home because of the heat. Just now Xu Mei and the others were outside—how could he possibly stand around shirtless in front of them?

Yan Fei suddenly smiled. The small tear mole at the corner of his eye made him look even more charming than Zhang Su at that moment.

“Go take a shower. It’ll cool you down.”

With that, he grabbed Luo Xun and pulled him toward the bathroom.

Luo Xun didn’t realize what was happening at first. Only when he was dragged to the doorway did he suddenly understand—

This guy had bad intentions!

Unfortunately, every time he tried to compete with someone in strength, skill, or even reversing their positions, he had never succeeded.

So once again, the leader of the Otaku Team was sacrificed in the bathroom. In the end he had to take two showers in a row.

What a waste of water resources.

—

A stack of photographs lay on the table. They had been transmitted by satellite.

There were not many people sitting in the room, but each of them held enormous influence in the base—figures who could shake the entire place with a single command.

Ordinary survivors had no idea about their existence. They represented various military factions and several large ability-user teams in the base.

Everyone stared gravely at the photographs.

One man flipped through them and selected two.

“It’s obvious. After leaving the Southwest Base, those zombies went straight toward the I-City Base. Over the past two days, the I-City Base has already…”

The room fell silent.

Most of them had personally climbed the walls under ability-user protection two days earlier. The endless sea of zombies surrounding the base, the terrifying black mass writhing outside the gates—those scenes had left an unforgettable impression on everyone.

“They can actually… move in a coordinated way? Why would such a large group leave our base and go attack the I-City Base instead? Could it be that someone—or something—is controlling them?” one person suggested a possibility that everyone had secretly suspected but dared not believe.

“…Do you remember the aircraft, armored vehicles, and the airport we lost earlier?”

Silence filled the room again.

“Perhaps… there really is something controlling them,” someone said quietly, then looked up. “Is there any base with particularly strong defenses? One that could hold out for a long time?”

“The W-City Base in the south has strong defenses. I heard they even have more metal-type ability users than our base. Why do you ask?”

The man shook his head.

“I’m just thinking… if something truly controls the zombies and possesses some intelligence, then if they find a base they cannot conquer quickly, they might temporarily abandon it and go attack another target.”

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